The Stench in The Swamp
For the first time since 1947, a Florida Gator team has lost back-to-back Homecoming games. Not only that, they lost it in the most terrible form ever. Last year was the first loss in 25 years to Vanderbilt, and this year was the worst Homecoming loss in a similar period to boot. Missouri pounded the Gators before taking the foot off the gas, allowing 13 garbage time points to a Gator team that feels like an old-school horror flick victim. Why in the world potential impact players like Treon Harris, Kelvin Taylor, and Chris Thompson sat on the bench when the offense stalled was bewildering.
To add insult to injury, a chilling stat has spread like wildfire these last few days. Over the last ten years, 149 teams have held their opponents to 120 yards of offense or less. Of those, only two squads have ever lost. Both have been a Will Muschamp coached Florida team. The second occurrence was last Saturday night in Gainesville to a rapidly dwindling Florida Field. While it shows a great defensive performance in terms of shutting a team down, it still led to chants ringing around The Swamp for Muschamp to get lost.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e-LX78QpQA?rel=0&w=640&h=360]
The one time coach-in-waiting at Texas has obviously lost control of the locker room and the team. After a year in 2013 featuring the first Florida team to be outscored cumulatively by its opponents since the 1979 winless squad, the 2014 Gators are only outscoring opponents thanks to a 65-0 win over Eastern Michigan to begin the season. He insists on a quarterback that would be better suited for nearly any other sport than football. He insists on idiotic play calls when he’s never been an offensive genius. The signs were there in 2012 when the offense ranked 97th in Total Offense despite going 11-2. Simply put, there is no identity in this team anymore.
This is not what most Gator fans are used to. I grew up watching a Spurrier team based on the Fun ‘n’ Gun that changed the game of college football as we know it. I’ve grown up knowing about the days of Galen Hall. I’ve grown up watching a powerhouse. Most Florida fans don’t remember the days (or weren’t alive) of Charley Pell. Muschamp’s overall winning percentage going into the annual Georgia-Florida game is .568, which is the lowest for any full-time head coach since Pell’s .556 win rate. A loss to the Dawgs on Nov. 1 will equal that mark. A mark held by a coach that had a winless season.
Times are quite bleak in Gainesville.
We can’t ignore that Muschamp is a gifted recruiter, but so was Ron Zook. Going into this season, he has Top 10 recruiting classes for the last three seasons. He’s one of the foremost defensive minds in the nation. There are those guys that can be a specialist, but that’s all they will ever be. Muschamp is much like Lane Kiffin, in that they’ll always be best as a coordinator or assistant but never as head coach. We all see how the Kiffin scenario has played out, and it’s really a matter of time until something similar happens in Gainesville.
Obviously, I’m just another voice in the cacophony of noise barking at Jeremy Foley that says Will Muschamp needs to go. At the same time, should Foley be on the hook for letting such incredible talent like Dan Mullen and Charlie Strong go? We wound up with WILL MUSCHAMP. Yes, he’s brought in fantastic assistants, but no one has performed up to par. Injury crises and a huge graduating class in 2012 hasn’t helped matters, but when you’re the coach of one of the greatest college football programs in the past 35 years, you can’t hide behind these excuses. You find a way to win.
At this point, I want Muschamp gone sooner rather than later. His impact upon potential recruits is too severe to be left in charge of our precious program. We have a rich history, too rich to be left in the incompetent hands of Will Muschamp. Foley…FIRE HIM TODAY! I’m not asking for a new head coach today, I just want recruits to see that the cancer on the Gator football program will be removed before it does irreparable harm. As we near the end of October, Florida’s 2015 recruiting class is ranked 60th by Rivals. That is a frightening prospect indeed.
What’s the next move then? I wouldn’t want a head coach appointed until some time after the season ends. Kurt Roper should be handed the reins, allowing him to start using the offensive talent that’s been languishing on the bench. There needs to be sufficient time to shortlist, gauge interest, interview, and then offer to someone worthy to follow in Steve Spurrier’s footsteps. Roper might prove that he has the touch as well, but the university needs to look at the potential candidates. Who is a possible replacement that could lead a high-powered offense back to the Swamp to go with an always fearsome defense?
Many people are clamoring for Dan Mullen. His offense was at Florida, and it helped lead to two BCS National Championships. While I hate that Foley didn’t go after him or Charlie Strong following Urban Meyer’s contentious departure in 2009, I don’t think Foley will be able to tempt the former offensive coordinator back to Gainesville. For me, too much has happened to Mullen’s career for him to ditch his Mississippi State project. He’s created a formidable team over the last five years, but you never know what happens if Florida throws cash at him. Mullen would be a good hire, but he’d be under intense scrutiny from day one.
Personally, I fell in love with the West Virginia team that stunned Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. That offense was incredible. Despite his struggles at Michigan afterwards, I loved Rich Rodriguez. I was thrilled for his resurgence at Arizona lately, showing that he still has his touch. The best part about Rich Rod for me is his attitude and polarizing demeanor. I am a fan of an outspoken coach, one that has personality. He has flair, and while he’s left programs controversially before, he’s worth the gamble at Florida. Plus, it’s very easy for him to implement his style of the spread offense that would be very reminiscent of the mid-2000s Florida. While he prefers running over passing, he loves speed, and Rodriguez would inherit a lot of speed at Florida. It’s a great fit.
Even if he seems like a longshot, I’m hoping that lightning will strike twice if we hire an offensively-focused head coach from Duke. David Cutcliffe would be a phenomenal mind to lead the Florida Gators. He has turned Duke from the ACC whipping boy to a legitimate threat. They’ve posted a winning record for the first time since 1994, and Cutcliffe has made it to bowl games in back-to-back seasons. There’s a strong possibility that 2014 would be a third successive bowl eligible season. Combined with previous SEC experience at Ole Miss, Cutcliffe has an incredible list of players in the NFL…like Peyton and Eli Manning. Out of these three, he’s my personal choice to take over the reins at Florida. His only detriment is his age, limiting his potential longevity at the program.
Sometimes, you’ve got to sacrifice a season to save a program. While the past fifteen years of Billy Donovan have been mesmerizing, I know I speak for Gator Nation when I say that we don’t want to just become a basketball school. The Swamp needs some serious deep cleaning, and it’s about time we start with the frighteningly horrific Will Muschamp.
